A new microporous 12-ring zincosilicate THK-2 with many terminal silanols characterized by automated electron diffraction tomography.

A newly synthesized microporous zincosilicate THK-2 (estimated structural composition: |(H2O)6.7(C6H13N)0.9|[Li0.5Zn3.1Si32O62.7(OH)9.3]) was characterized by single-crystal electron diffraction using the automated electron diffraction tomography (ADT) approach in combination with powder X-ray diffraction. The lattice constants and space group of as-synthesized THK-2 were a = 2.50377(7) nm, b = 1.43866(4) nm, c = 0.505369(8) nm, and Pccn (no. 56) with orthorhombic symmetry. Because the crystal lattice was almost identical to a hexagonal lattice (), the first several peaks in its powder X-ray diffraction data severely overlapped, which suppressed the structural information to decide the framework topology. In order to overcome this intrinsic difficulty, the structure model of THK-2 was initially obtained by the direct method based on ADT data and refined by the Rietveld method. Its 3-dimensional framework structure was elucidated and it consisted of 4-, 5-, 6-rings of tetrahedral Si and Zn atoms and a one-dimensional straight channel with a 12-ring pore opening. Zn atoms were incorporated into the framework as four-coordinated [ZnO4], although their distribution was confirmed to be disorderly. In the as-synthesized THK-2, the site occupancy of Zn was as low as 0.39; that is, more than 60% of the Zn sites were vacant. Hexamethyleneimine and water molecules were accommodated in the straight channel in a disordered manner. The material was stable upon calcination, and the BET specific surface area and micropore volume of calcined THK-2 were 240.6 m2 g-1 and 0.12 ml g-1, respectively.

Expanding the Variety of Zirconium-based Inorganic Building Units for Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Two new zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks with the composition [Zr6 O4 (OH)4 (OAc)6 (BDC)3 ] (CAU-26) and [Zr5 O4 (OH)4 (OAc)4 (BDC)2 ] (CAU-27) are reported, which were synthesized from acetic acid, a rarely utilized but green and sustainable solvent (BDC2- : 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate). Structure determination aided by automated electron diffraction tomography revealed that CAU-26 is composed of layers of well-known {Zr6 O8 } clusters interconnected by terephthalate ions. In contrast CAU-27 exhibits a three-dimensional structure with a so far unknown type of one-dimensional inorganic building unit (IBU), which can be rationalized as condensed polyhedron-sharing chains of {Zr6 O8 } clusters. CAU-26 occurs as an intermediate of the CAU-27 synthesis and can be isolated easily, when reaction temperature and time are decreased. We were also able to synthesize two isoreticular derivatives of CAU-27 with extended linker molecules by implementing 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid (H2 BPDC) and 5,5'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine (H2 BIPY). All materials show high thermal and chemical stability as well as permanent microporosity. The excellent stability of CAU-27-BIPY was exploited to synthesize a performant iridium-supported heterogeneous MOF-based catalyst for the direct C-H borylation of arenes.

A consistent path for phase determination based on transmission electron microscopy techniques and supporting simulations.

This work addresses aspects for the analysis of industrial relevant materials via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The complex phase chemistry and structural diversity of these materials require several characterization techniques to be employed simultaneously; unfortunately, different characterization techniques often lack connection to yield a complete and consistent picture. This paper describes a continuous path, starting with the acquisition of 3D diffraction data - alongside classical high-resolution imaging techniques - and linking the structural characterization of hard metal industrial samples with energy-loss fine-structure simulations, quantitative electron energy-loss (EEL) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Thereby, the compositional analysis of a MAX phase indicated an offset of the hydrogenic, theoretical sensitivity factors, originating from poorly-adjusted screening factors. In a next step, these results were matched against quantitative compositions and parameters obtained from X-ray spectroscopy data, carried out synchronously with EELS.

Highly stable and porous porphyrin-based zirconium and hafnium phosphonates - electron crystallography as an important tool for structure elucidation.

The Ni-metallated porphyrin-based tetraphosphonic acid (Ni-tetra(4-phosphonophenyl)porphyrin, Ni-H8TPPP) was used for the synthesis of highly porous metal phosphonates containing the tetravalent cations Zr4+ and Hf4+. The compounds were thoroughly characterized regarding their sorption properties towards N2 and H2O as well as thermal and chemical stability. During the synthesis optimization the reaction time could be substantially decreased under stirring from 24 to 3 h in glass vials. M-CAU-30, [M2(Ni-H2TPPP)(OH/F)2]·H2O (M = Zr, Hf) shows exceptionally high specific surface areas for metal phosphonates of aBET = 1070 and 1030 m2 g-1 for Zr- and Hf-CAU-30, respectively, which are very close/correspond to the theoretical values of 1180 and 1030 m2 g-1. CAU-30 is always obtained as mixtures with one mol ZrO2/HfO2 per formula unit as proven by TEM, electron diffraction, TG and elemental analysis. Hence experimentally derived specific surface areas are 970 and 910 m2 g-1, respectively. M-CAU-30 is chemically stable in the pH range 0 to 12 in HCl/NaOH and thermally up to 420 °C in air as determined by variable-temperature powder X-ray diffraction (VT-PXRD). The crystal structure of M-CAU-30 was determined by combining electron diffraction tomography for structure solution and powder X-ray diffraction data for the structure refinement. The crystal structure consists of chains of corner sharing MO6 octahedra interconnected by the partly deprotonated linker molecules Ni-H2TPPP6-. Thus 1D channels with pore diameters of 1.3 × 2.0 nm are formed. The redox activity of Zr-CAU-30 was investigated by cyclic voltammetry resulting in a reversible redox process at a half-wave potential of E1/2 = -0.649 V.